Name: Essential Oil Stain Remover
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: About 1 ½ cups filtered water (or enough to fill bottle); ¼ cup vegetable glycerine; ¼ cup plain liquid soap; 1 tbsp baking soda; 20 drops lemon essential oil; 16 oz. glass spray bottle

Skip the toxic chemicals and remove laundry stains naturally with this essential oil stain remover.

DIY stain remover for clothes

These days, our toxic burden is already big… and it’s growing (source)! I like to find as many ways as possible to reduce our exposure to chemicals.

One really effective way to do this is to swap out commercial household products for safe, natural options. This essential oil stain remover is a great alternative to commercial stain removers.

For more natural home products, I share the best non toxic cleaning products in this post. I also have more essential oil spray recipes here.

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This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Get my full disclosure here.

How to remove laundry stains with lemon essential oil

What is the best homemade stain remover? This natural laundry stain spray uses the power of lemon essential oil along with other safe ingredients for a natural stain remover spray. It is a fast and easy homemade stain remover, and you can throw it together in seconds.

This DIY stain remover works really well to lift and remove stains on laundry before they go in the wash. I’ve been using it and loving the results.

You want to make sure to use a glass spray bottle, and not a plastic one. The lemon essential oil can break down plastic over time.

How to make essential oil stain remover

Ingredients:

About 1 ½ cups filtered water (or enough to fill bottle)
¼ cup vegetable glycerine
¼ cup plain liquid soap
1 tbsp baking soda
20 drops lemon essential oil
16 oz. glass spray bottle

Instructions:

Add baking soda and about 1/2 cup water to spray bottle.
Swirl bottle until baking soda is dissolved.
Add lemon essential oil, vegetable glycerine, and liquid soap.
Fill bottle with rest of water, leaving some room to shake contents.
Shake bottle to combine ingredients.

How to use your essential oil stain remover

For best results, use this essential oil stain remover as quickly as you can after the stain happens.

Use this DIY stain remover like you would any other stain remover: Spray the clothes, and then toss them into the washer. It’s best to wash the clothes right away after spraying. Don’t let it sit and don’t let the spray dry on the laundry.

If the stain remains after washing once, don’t put the clothes in the dryer. The heat of the dryer can set some stains, making them impossible to remove. Instead, lay the laundry out in the bright sunlight to finish removing the stain.

If you have a white piece of laundry, you can use hydrogen peroxide along with this natural laundry stain spray.

How to remove different kinds of laundry stains naturally

Protein stains, like blood, do best when you wash the laundry with cold water. The lemon essential oil in this essential oil stain remover is very effective at lifting blood stains. Some sea salt is also helpful at removing blood. Hydrogen peroxide is another great thing to use.
Oil stains can be removed by sprinkling arrowroot powder or cornstarch and some sea salt on the stain, and then scrubbing with a toothbrush before spraying and washing.
Wine stains should be blotted, and then the laundry should be rinsed and then soaked in a mixture of water and vinegar before spraying and washing.

More natural ways to get rid of laundry stains

Sunlight on its own is wonderful at removing laundry stains. It is my favorite way to get my cloth diapers nice and white again.
Baking soda is very cleansing, and can help dissolve stains. It works well at helping to remove oil stains.
Hydrogen peroxide is great way to whiten laundry, and is a natural alternative to bleach. If you have blood stains, hydrogen peroxide is definitely the way to go to remove them.
Vinegar can remove a wide variety of stains, including tomato, tea, coffee, mustard, mildew, and more.

What essential oils remove stains?

Does lemon essential oil remove stains? Yes it does! Both lemon and eucalyptus are wonderful natural stain removing essential oils.

You can use eucalyptus for part of the essential oil in this stain remover recipe if you like.

Can salt remove stains?

Sea salt can be helpful for removing stains like rust and red wine. It can also help to absorb wet stains before they set.

Does baking soda remove clothing stains?

The baking soda in this natural laundry stain spray helps to get rid of sweat stains, rust, and fresh oil or grease stains. Baking soda can also be helpful when washing cloth diapers.